McRose ‘Aunty Rose’ Elu is a Saibalaig (Torres Strait Islander) Elder and recipient of the 2021 Queensland Senior Australian of the Year Award. Aunty Rose has been a lifelong advocate for Torres Strait communities and climate change.

This feature was a collaboration between Lilly O’Scanaill (Wiley) and co-researchers Duncan Wright, Rod Mitchell and McRose (Aunty Rose) Elu, exploring Aunty Rose’s life, work, and the article Cosmo-political landscapes of Torres Strait adhi and misœri stones: Closing the gap between Islander and non-indigenous perspectives (co-authored also by Friedrich von Gnielinski and Josh Willsher).

Aunty Rose was born on Saibai in the Torres Strait (Zenadth Kes), and brought up on the Cape. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Political Science from the University of Queensland, a PhD in Customary Law from the University of Hawaii, a Diploma in Counselling and further postgraduate studies in Theology from St Francis College.

Aunty Rose’s decades-long work as an advocate for Torres Strait communities and climate change earned her the 2021 Queensland Senior Australian of the Year Award. Since 1980, Aunty Rose has been a prominent voice for her people at local, national and international levels, and she is currently involved in a landmark climate change case against the Commonwealth, held on-country on Boigu and Saibai, in an attempt to ensure the survival of the islands.

Duncan Wright is an Associate Professor and Head of Archaeology at the Australian National University (SoAA), specialising in Australian Indigenous archaeology. Rod Mitchell is a Freelance EFL Teacher and Language Scholar based in Milan. This ‘partnership archaeology’ research project and subsequent article developed out of work and research conducted in the Torres Strait over more than 20 years - and in the case of Aunty Rose and other Islanders involved - understandings developed over a lifetime and beyond. The project involves Torres Strait Islander, archaeological, anthropological-linguistic and geological understandings to more accurately describe and examine the phenomena of pœrapœral kulal: powerful stones.

Located on Australia’s north-east border, the Torres Strait has a long history of research on pœrapœral kulal, which contain vital power from site-of-origin, whose movements across the Coral-Arafura sea corridor provide important information about past and present human relationships (Duncan Wright, et al. 2023, citing Elu 2004). As the article describes, these pœrapœral kulal are inhabited by a spirit representing a God, totem, or deity. The stones possess a spirit directly linked to one's Buwai (kin group), and are often used to translate concept of divine power. However, before now, the academic record has included inaccuracies and misunderstandings of these powerful stones and their movements.

As Duncan explains of the project - ‘That’s the lovely thing about this kind of collaboration; all of us have the same interest, we just get at it in a different way. ..Our research attempts to answer questions in ways that are mutually relevant. Looking at origins and timelines from multiple perspectives provides a more human story. What we tried to do with this paper is move it from a dialogue that included misquotes and misunderstandings of the stones, to a shared representation of the cultural, archaeological, and linguistic viewpoint. This project is an attempt to equalise, to get something out into the published literature that is not deeply frustrating to the Islanders themselves’.

From Aunty Rose’ chapter Cooking, walking, and talking cosmology: an Islander woman’s perspective of religion in Woven Histories, Dancing Lives: Torres Strait Islander Identity, Culture and History, we can learn about her Traditional knowledge and cosmopolitical understandings, and how these are maintained and shared across generations:

‘As small children, Islanders start to learn about the cosmos from their parents and extended family in the family home and from their clan elders and leaders in their buwai]. ..The belief system can be categorised as being a network of totemism, animism, god/spirit worship, ancestor worship and cult worship. ..Traditional knowledge of the belief system was, and continues to be, passed on through song, dance, ceremonies, important stories (adhi) and general discussions within the buwai.’ (Elu in Davis, Richard and AIATSIS, 2004. Aboriginal Studies Press for AIATSIS).

Their Archaeology in Oceania article continues this history of education and sharing adhi.

With thanks to Aunty Rose Elu, Rod Mitchell and Duncan Wright for their collaboration and support.

Professor Maree Meredith is a proud Bidjara woman and the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Leadership at the University of Canberra. Professor Meredith’s qualifications include a Master in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development (Specialisation Indigenous Policy) and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons).

What projects are you working on right now?
This is such an important year to be in Canberra, but also build strong links to the rest of the nation, building understanding about Indigenous leadership and awareness about the proposal for the Voice to Parliament. There’s no place I would rather be right now than in my second home, Canberra – it’s my third time in the city and each time I have come back I have re-discovered not just a huge pool of talent at our university, but also the benefits of so many talented thought leaders who come in and out of Canberra, to meet with peak bodies, departments and politicians. This year is a really significant one for UC, as we redefine our strategy towards Indigenous leadership and for the country.

What does a day in your life look like as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Leadership at the University of Canberra?
My day starts with my daughter, chatting to her over breakfast and from then on, anything can happen. There are meetings with community, discussions with partners, catching up with Indigenous staff and students and UC and a whole range of other activities that make each day fascinating. Right now we are in the midst of developing our new strategy. UC is committed to connecting with community and we want to lead an outside-in approach – listening to community, working out how our university can best deliver what they are looking for, in terms of education and research, and then going back to the university and talking through new approaches. We want UC to be the place where Indigenous staff and students from around Australia want to come, because we are prepared to be different and we are offering opportunities that are really relevant.

What are you most proud of in your career to date?
It’s a little thing, but I am really proud when people offer to help. As a professor and someone who has studied and worked in a whole range of places in Australia and overseas, there a lots of milestones that have given me personal satisfaction, but the role of an Indigenous leader is to bring the community along, and support new voices and the quiet voices that can sometimes be overlooked. It’s looking at new ways to share Indigenous knowledge with all Australians and to make a contribution to Closing the Gap. All those achievements are things that other people will help to deliver. My proudest moment is when anyone, Indigenous or non-Indigenous, walks through the door and offers to help. Growing the community of Indigenous people and allies who sign up to work towards creating positive impact is key to making this job work.

In your research on the role of Aboriginal community-controlled art centres in keeping Elders strong and connected, what was the most striking finding?
Art centres are critical to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people, particularly in remote communities. In amongst the billions of dollars spent on trying to Close the Gap by improving Indigenous health over the past few years, it is now widely recognised that there has been too much emphasis on delivering solutions that look logical to people in charge of the money, but don’t make sense and don’t deliver results on the ground. Understanding the role of arts centres not only in terms of art but also in terms of health benefits is critical in considering how best to achieve improved health and wellbeing in remote communities.

What significance does NAIDOC Week have for you and particularly this year's theme, ‘For Our Elders’?
I have had the good fortune to have many much loved Elders as role models and guides over the years. This NAIDOC Week is a great chance to recognize and celebrate the important role the Elders play not just in the lives of individuals, but also communities.

Luke J Burchill is a proud Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung man and an Adult Congenital Heart Disease Specialist and Lead of Darak for the Australian Stroke Alliance. He was awarded the 2021 National Health and Medical Research Council Sandra Eades Investigator Grant Award for excellence in Indigenous health research. In 2022 he was recruited to the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, USA) to lead the development of a new care pathway for adults with heart failure due to congenital heart disease.

What projects are you working on right now?
Right now I am developing a new care pathway for young adults with heart failure due to congenital heart disease. I have the privilege of working with a dedicated team of clinicians at Mayo Clinic, recognized as one of the world’s best hospitals. My ties to country and community remain strong and I am excited to be Indigenous co-lead for Darak meaning ‘branches’ for the Australian Stroke Alliance. We are building evidence for the value of embedding Indigenous leadership within large Indigenous health research collaborations. Already we are seeing important shifts towards priorities that better reflect the priorities and values of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

What influenced you to study medicine and begin a career in Cardiovascular Health?
My Nanny Iris Atkinson was a paraplegic and diabetic. As a kid I spent a lot of time visiting her in regional Australian hospitals (Echuca and Shepparton). Those hospital visits combined with the care provided by our family GP left a mark and inspired me to join the helping and healing professions.

What are you most proud of in your career to date?
Being recognized with the Sandra Eades Award for excellence in Indigenous health research meant a lot to me. Dr Eades is an icon and someone I truly admire for her wisdom, grace and intelligence. All things I aspire to reflect in my own practice.

Your large-scale study of the use of NHMRC Indigenous research guidelines found that understandings and applications of Indigenous governance and participation was inadequate at each stage of research, and also found inadequate levels of education about applying the NHMRC guidelines. What role can journal Editorial Boards, academic and practitioner societies, and Publishers play in embedding and increasing the uptake of understanding and application of Indigenous governance and research practices by practitioners and researchers?
Share your power. Create and hold space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a seat at the table. Hear our voices and listen carefully to what we are saying – even if it runs counter to what you might have been told or thought you knew about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Invest in and support the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in this country. Give us a seat at the table and we will show you the benefits it brings – not just for our Mob but for everyone.

What significance does NAIDOC Week have for you and in particular, this year's theme ‘For Our Elders’?
For Our Elders is close to my heart as a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung man. Everything I have achieved. Everything. Is because of the strength, dignity, and patience of my Elders and Ancestors. I follow their path and learn from their example. Our Elders are our Knowledge Keepers and the link between this world and the next. So yes, it’s a very special theme for me this year especially being so far from home.

Langaliki Robin is a senior Indigenous knowledge holder for Walalkara, one of the longest running Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs). Walalkara protects over 700,000 hectares of almost pristine wilderness in Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY lands) in South Australia.

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